Reflective coatings and mirrors using same

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a mirror having a backing plate or polymeric substrate being coated with a reflective coating, for example a chromium-based reflective coating. A mirror assembly includes a mirror housing, a reflective element having a first field of view, a reflective coating having a second field of view, the second field of view being wider than the first field of view, and a multi-function backing plate supported by the mirror housing and comprising a reflective element supporting region where the reflective element is supported by the multi-function backing plate and a reflective coating supporting region where the reflective coating is applied to the backing plate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/936,024, filed on Nov. 5, 2015, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/374,376,filed on Jul. 24, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,181,616, which is a nationalstage entry of International Patent Application No. PCT/AU2013/000047,filed on Jan. 24, 2013, which claims the benefit of priority toAustralian Patent Application No. 2012900267, filed on Jan. 24, 2012,all of which are hereby incorporate by reference in their entirety forall purposes.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A COMPACT DISK APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The following description relates to a backing plate or a polymericsubstrate being coated with a reflective coating, for example, achromium-based reflective coating. The backing plate or the polymericsubstrate may be used in vehicle components, such as rear view devicesincluding side view mirrors. The coating, like a mirror, is a reflectivecoating that is capable of providing a mirror image of the surroundingenvironment.

2. Related Art

Rear view devices including side view mirrors and rear view mirrorstypically include a backing plate having a polymeric or other substratemounted thereto. In certain applications, the substrate may be a glass,polymeric, or metallic substrate that is coated with a reflectivecoating so that the coating acts as a mirror assembly. Substrateassemblies typically involve manufacturing additional structuralcomponents and mounting such components to a mirror assembly in aseparate manufacturing process. In some examples, the substrates aremolded to mirror assemblies in separate manufacturing processes.

An interesting area of application is the design of ultrathin coatingsfor use in ‘everyday’ environments, such as easy-clean coatings on smartphones to mirrors and decorative (colorful) coatings in the automotiveindustry. For example, chrome finishes with custom colors and tints(often with a “brushed-metal” look) are becoming increasing desirable.Such coatings include tinted and deep dark chromes, as well as satinfinishes. Furthermore, prolonged exposure to these ‘everyday’environmental conditions requires such ultrathin coatings to possess alevel of robustness against factors such as acidic or causticenvironments, temperature variations from as low as −80° C. to highs of+80° C., variations in relative humidity, as well as abrasive conditionsinflicted by everyday wear and tear.

Additionally, in almost all applications employing such coatings, thereis a need for the coating to maintain its integrity over extendedperiods of operation under varying environmental conditions. That is,the coating should not significantly change reflectivity or color withinthis time, nor should it delaminate or break away from the underlyingsubstrate.

Further to the above characteristics of permanent and consistentintegrity of the coatings, additional properties are desired. Forexample, in case such coatings are used as coatings for motor vehicleparts, it is desirable that the coatings also provide a certain degreeof permeability to light from a natural or artificial light source. Thismay be suitable for example in case light from a side turn indicatorshould be visible even through the coating, which otherwise has adecorative effect in masking the light source.

Thus, there is a need for coatings for polymeric substrates that have animproved durability as well as provide characteristics that allow acertain degree of reflectivity or that can be substantially transparentso as to permit hidden lighting functionality if desired. Theseproperties may be particularly useful for applications in motor vehiclecomponents.

The above discussion of background is included to explain the context ofthe present invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any ofthe material referred to was published, known or part of the commongeneral knowledge at the priority date of any one of the claims.

SUMMARY

In an aspect, a mirror assembly includes a mirror housing, a reflectiveelement having a first field of view, a reflective coating having asecond field of view, the second field of view being wider than thefirst field of view, and a multi-function backing plate supported by themirror housing and comprising a reflective element supporting regionwhere the reflective element is supported by the multi-function backingplate and a reflective coating supporting region where the reflectivecoating is applied to the backing plate.

The reflective coating supporting region may be convex so that thereflective coating is convex and provide a wider field of view.

The reflective element supporting region may include an aperture forreceiving the reflective element, and the reflective coating supportingregion may be thicker than the reflective element supporting region.

The reflective coating may be a chromium-based reflective coating.

In another aspect, the present description relates to a backing plate ora polymeric substrate, wherein the backing plate or polymeric substrateis coated with a reflective coating such as a chromium-based reflectivecoating.

The present description also provides the chromium-based reflectivecoating for a backing plate or a polymeric substrate, wherein thecoating is an alloy of chromium and a dopant material, the dopantmaterial being selected from the hexagonally close-packed transitionmetals, the alloy having a crystal structure of a primary body-centeredcubic phase in coexistence with a secondary omega hexagonallyclose-packed phase. In a preferred form of the present invention, thealloy is a binary alloy of chromium and the dopant material.

The present description also provides a method of forming achromium-based reflective coating on a backing plate or a polymericsubstrate, the method including applying chromium and a dopant materialto the polymeric substrate by physical vapour deposition, the dopantmaterial being selected from the hexagonally close-packed transitionmetals, to form an alloy coating, the alloy coating being applied so asto have a crystal structure of a primary body-centered cubic phase incoexistence with a secondary omega hexagonally close-packed phase. In apreferred form of the present invention, the alloy is applied so as tobe a binary alloy of chromium and the dopant material.

In one embodiment of the invention the at least one light element isarranged on one side of the polymeric substrate, and wherein thepolymeric substrate and the chromium-based reflective coating are atleast in part permeable to light originating from the at least one lightelement.

The polymeric substrate may be used in different technical fields, suchas in automotive industry, advertising industry or any industry whichprovides products having a protective coating that does also providelight reflective as well as light transmission properties.

The chromium-based reflective coating according to the invention isbased on an alloy comprising chromium. Chromium is a Group 6 member ofthe transition metals and has a body-centered cubic (bcc) crystalstructure. Incorporated as the primary component in the preferred binaryalloy of the present invention, being an alloy of two principal metalliccomponents, chromium is used primarily for its contribution towardsproducing a shiny, hard surface that is resistant to corrosion, thusbringing to the alloy the desirable property of optical reflectivity,preferably with an R % greater than 50% so as to find acceptable use informing a mirror. It has a high melting point, a stable crystallinestructure and moderate thermal expansion, making it an ideal primarycomponent for use in the harsh environmental conditions described above.

The secondary component of the preferred binary alloy is the dopantmaterial mentioned above, the dopant material herein often beingreferred to as M and being selected from the hexagonally close-packed(hcp) transition metals. The hcp structure is the most common among thetransition metals, including the transition metals zirconium (Zr),titanium (Ti), cobalt (Co), hafnium (Hf), rubidium (Ru), yttrium (Y),and osmium (Os). In this respect, some of these hcp transition metals,such as Zr, Ti and Co are practically easier materials to work with andso will be preferred dopant materials for the purposes of the presentinvention.

While it is envisaged that Zr will be the most preferred hcp dopantmaterial, and thus the present invention will be described herein mainlywith reference to Zr as the hcp dopant material, this should not beregarded as a limitation on the scope of the present invention.

In a preferred form of the present invention, the alloy will be a binaryalloy and the atomic percentage of the dopant material in the binaryalloy will be in the range of from about 1.9 at. % to about 5.8 at. %.However, within this broad range, there may be narrower ranges thatrelate to specific dopant materials, as will be described further below.

It has been found that the introduction of small amounts of a hcp dopantmaterial to the chromium (a bcc transition metal) can yield a range ofalloy compositions having an intermetallic crystal structure that hasbcc and omega-hcp phases coexisting, which has been found to providethose alloys with further advantageous properties (beyond those ofchromium alone). Indeed, it has been found that the careful selection ofthe amount of hcp dopant material relative to the amount of chromium cangive rise to alloy compositions within those ranges that areparticularly preferred, where desirable properties (such as abrasionresistance) are maximized and undesirable properties (such as a colorother than a neutral color) are minimized.

By way of explanation, it has been found that coatings according to thepresent invention change in phase composition as the elementalcomposition of the dopant material is increased, from bcc only, to bccplus omega-hcp, to bcc plus an amorphous phase. The optical andmechanical properties observed for the coatings show variationcommensurate with these changes in composition, with the preferredoptical and mechanical properties occurring when the phase compositionis bcc plus omega-hcp. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it isbelieved that the observed changes are due to the changing electronstructure of the atoms and the crystallographic conformation relative toeach other.

Specifically, when the phase composition was bcc plus omega-hcp, thecrystal structure of the coatings demonstrated d-orbital transitionswhich gave rise to neutral color and relatively lower reflectivity, withthe well-ordered crystal structure yielding higher relative resistanceto abrasion. By way of comparison, when the amorphous phase was present,the d-orbital transitions were no longer observed, indicating that theorbital hybridization between neighbouring atoms was partially fillingthe d-orbitals, correlating with a less-preferred lower reflectivity.Furthermore, the lower atomic packing density in such an amorphous phasewas found to yield coatings with reduced resistance to abrasion, whichof course is also less desirable.

With this in mind, and referring to the dopant material as M in thegeneral formula CrM_(x), this transition of phase from bcc plusomega-hcp, to bcc plus an amorphous phase, was found to occur at valuesof x of about 0.06, correlating to about 5.8 at. %, when the dopantmaterial was Zr. The same transition is expected to occur at about thesame value of x also for Ti and Co.

Unlike the reflectivity, the color of the coatings of the presentinvention was found to not show a change in trend at the transition ofthe phase from bcc plus omega-hcp, to bcc plus an amorphous phase. Tothe contrary, at the transition of the phase from bcc to bcc plusomega-hcp, which was found to occur for Zr at values of x (in the abovegeneral formula) of about 0.05 (correlating to a lower limit of about4.5 at. %), a transition in the color of the coatings of the presentinvention was found. This suggests the onset of the orbitalhybridization in the electron structure occurs at concentrations of Zras the dopant material close to about 4.5 at. %. However, the sametransition point for Co as the dopant material was found to be about 1.9at. %.

By way of explanation, and again using Zr as the exemplary hcp dopantmaterial, at low concentrations there is an increase in the resistanceto abrasion upon increasing the elemental composition of Zr. A maximumin the resistance to abrasion is observed at the transition from bcc tothe bcc plus omega-hcp, after which increasing the Zr concentrationleads to a steady decrease in the measured abrasion ratio. Indeed, froman electron diffraction analysis of CrZr_(x) coatings, two transitionconcentrations are defined that represent the change from one phasecomposition to another. For Zr as the dopant material, these transitionsare at about x=0.05 (bcc to bcc+Ω-hcp) and about 0.06 (bcc+Ω-hcp tobcc+amorphous). In this respect, the omega-hcp phase is understood to bea displacive phase transformation from the bcc structure.

Accordingly, in one form of the present invention, the alloy will be abinary alloy and the dopant material will be Zr, wherein the atomicpercentage of the dopant material in the binary alloy will be in therange of from about 4.5 at. % to about 5.8 at. %.

In yet another form of the present invention, the alloy will be a binaryalloy and the dopant material will be Co, wherein the atomic percentageof the dopant material in the binary alloy will be in the range of fromabout 1.9 at. % to about 5.7 at. %. In relation to predictiveconclusions able to be drawn by the inventors (based on the similarityin the physical nature of all hcp transition metals) from theexperimental work (described below) conducted in relation to Zr and Co,and to an extent Ti, it will be appreciated by a skilled addressee thatthe behaviour of the other hcp transition metals as the dopant materialin the present invention can be reasonably expected to be the same orsimilar to that as seen with Zr, Co and Ti. Indeed, the comparativeexperimental work conducted (again, see below) on the bcc transitionmetal molybdenum (Mo), where similar behavior was not expected (and wasnot seen) due to the different physical nature of this transition metal,also tends to confirm these predictive conclusions about the hcptransition metals.

Indeed, given that the physical nature of the other hcp transitionmetals is similar to both Zr and Co, it is expected that Ti, Hf, Ru, Yand Os will display the same structure forming abilities in the Cr basedalloy of the present invention when their concentration is within therange of about 1.9 at. % to about 5.8 at. %.

The coatings of the present invention are preferably ultrathin coatings,wherein the thickness is selected to achieve the desired opticalproperty, such as transmission and/or reflectivity. For example, thecoating is being defined in this specification to be a coating with athickness of 200 nm or less. In one embodiment, the coating has athickness of 100 nm. It is envisaged that preferred thicknesses will bein the range of 100 nm or less, or more preferably in the range of 40 nmto 80 nm, or more preferably in the narrower range of 50 nm to 70 nm.Ideally, the thickness will be about 60 nm.

Preferably, the inventive polymeric substrate is formed by injectioncompression moulding, although any other method known in the art, suchas compression moulding, blow moulding, reaction moulding and sheetcasting, could also be utilised and thus also falls within the scope ofthe present invention.

The polymeric substrate may be any known type of polymeric substratematerial and for example could be a substrate formed from a materialselected from the group including polyacrylate, polyester, polystyrene,polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamides, polyamides, polycarbonate,epoxy, phenolic, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene,acrylonitrile-styrene-arylates, acetal and blends of these. Preferredsubstrate materials include polycarbonate, poly(2,2′-dihydroxyphenylpropane) carbonate, polydiethyleneglycol bis(allylcarbonate), polymethylmethacrylate and polystyrene, or blends thereof.

The polymeric substrate or the backing plate bearing the coating of thepresent invention may also include other coatings (pre-coatings) eitherbetween the coating and the substrate, within the coating, or as anouter layer. In particular, it is envisaged that in some embodiments itwill be advantageous to include a hardcoating between the coating andthe substrate or as an outer coating. In this form, the hardcoating is aprotective layer which does not contribute to the overall desiredoptical effect, while in other embodiments an external protective layerupon the decorative coating will itself be a hardcoating.

In this respect, a coating that is said to be a “hardcoating” is acoating that is harder and stiffer than the substrate, whereby itincreases the abrasion resistance of that substrate. Examples forhardcoats are, but not limited to, organo-silicon, an acrylic, aurethane, a melamine or an amorphous SiO_(x)C_(y)H_(z). Such an abrasionresistant hard coating is one that reduces damage due to impacts andscratching. Abrasion resistance can be measured through tests such asASTM F735 “Standard Test Method for Abrasion Resistance of TransparentPlastics and Coatings Using the Oscillating Sand Method”, ASTM 04060“Standard Test Method for Abrasion Resistance of Organic Coatings”, bythe Taber Abrader, or by using the well-known Steelwool Test.

The abrasion resistant layers are preferably formed from one or morematerials selected from the group consisting of an organo-silicon, anacrylic, a urethane, a melamine or an amorphous SiOxCyHz. Mostpreferably, the abrasion resistant layer is an organo-silicon layer, dueto its superior abrasion resistance and compatibility with physicalvapour deposited films. For example, an abrasion resistant layercomprising an organo-silicon polymer can be formed by forming a layer ofa compound selected from the following compounds by a method such as dipcoating or the like and then curing the layer: trialkoxysilanes ortriacyloxysilanes such as methyltrimethoxysilane, methyltriethoxysilane,methyltrimethoxyethoxysilane, methyltriacetoxysilane,methyltripropoxysilane, methyltributoxysilane, ethyltrimethoxysilane,ethyltriethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane,vinyltracetoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxyethoxysilane,phenyltrimethoxysilane, phenyltriethoxysilane, phenyltriacetoxysilane,gamma-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane, gamma-chloropropyltriethoxysilane,gamma-chloropropyltripropoxysilane,3,3,3-trifluoropropyltrimethoxysilanegamma-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane,gammaglycidoxypropyltriethoxysilane,gamma-(beta-glycidoxyethoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane,beta-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyltrimethoxysilane,beta-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyltriethoxysilane,gamma-methacryloxypropyltrimethyoxysilane,gamma-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane,gammameraptopropyltrimethoxysilane, gamma-mercaptopropyltriethoxysilane,Nbeta(aminoethyl)-gamma-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane,betacyanoethyltriethoxysilane and the like; as well as dialkoxysilanesor diacyloxysilanes such as dimethyldimethoxysilane,phenylmethyldimethoxysilane, dimethyldiethoxysilane,phenylmethyldiethoxysilane, gammaglycidoxypropylmethyldimethoxysilane,gamma-glycidoxypropylmethyldiethoxysilane,gamma-glycidoxypropylphenyldimethoxysilane,gammaglycidoxypropylphenyldiethoxysilane,gamma-chloropropylmethyldimethoxysilane,gamma-chloropropylmethyldiethoxysilane, dimethyldiacetoxysilane,gammamethacryloxypropylmethyldimethoxysilane,gammametacryloxypropylmethyldiethoxysilane,gammamercaptopropylmethyldimethoxysilane,gamma-mercaptopropylmethyldiethoxysilane,gamma-aminopropylmethyldimethoxysilane,gammaaminopropylmethyldiethoxysilane, methylvinyldimethoxysilane,methylvinyldiethoxysilane and the like.

The pre-coated films may also include, inorganic oxides (silica,titania, alumina), thin metal films (Cr, etc), where the pre-coatedsubstrate has been prepared to have the desirable surface energy,residual stress, thermal coefficient of expansion, conductivity,chemical functionality, etc, as required by the specific application ofsuch a Cr based alloy coating.

In a similar manner, a skilled addressee will understand that anovercoating may be applied over the coating of the present invention,which overcoating could include transparent coatings for the purposes ofmechanical strength, wettability, optical interference filters, modifiedcoefficient of friction, etc. The overcoating may be the abovehardcoating or any other protective layer. Such protective layer(s)provide enhanced abrasion resistance, fingerprint resistance and ‘easyclean’ functionality. Suitable materials for such a protective layercould be plasma polymerised hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO), fluoro polymerbased coatings deposited via evaporation or liquid transfer techniques,or a liquid hardcoat applied via spin, dip, spray or flow coatingtechniques, with or without particulate additives for haze control (mattadditive). In one embodiment, in case the polymeric substrate is used asa housing of a rear view device, the overcoating is permeable to lightfrom the light element and may have the same color as the rest of therear view device and the vehicle. In one embodiment the color may bedifferent to the rest of the vehicle.

In a preferred form, the physical vapour deposition techniques adoptedin the method of the present invention will be based upon magnetronsputtering, be it from a primary alloy target or using a co-sputteringprocess involving two targets made from the respective components of thealloy. Alternatively, it will be appreciated that the preferred alloycould be deposited using thermal evaporation or e-beam evaporation ofthe respective alloy components.

Before turning to a description of various preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, it will be appreciated that, due to the nature ofpolymeric substrates, conventional temperature processing (during orafter deposition) could generally not be employed to modify theproperties of alloy coatings of the type of the present invention,although this finally depends on the polymeric material of the polymericsubstrate. In the inventive coatings, the inventors have determined thatthe preferred alloys change in phase composition as the elementalcomposition of a dopant material (such as Zr, Ti or Co) is increased;from bcc only, to bcc plus hcp, to bcc plus an amorphous phase. Theoptical and mechanical properties for these preferred alloys (asultrathin coatings) show variation commensurate with the composition andobserved changes relate to the changing electron structure of the atomsand the crystallographic conformation relative to each other.

Indeed, these crystalline ultrathin coatings demonstrate d-orbitaltransitions that give rise to neutral color and relatively lowerreflectivity, with a well ordered crystal structure yielding higherrelative resistance to abrasion. When amorphous material is present inthe coatings, the d-orbital transitions are no longer observed,indicating the partial filling of the d-orbitals. It is believed thatthe orbital hybridization between neighbouring atoms partially fills thed-orbitals, correlating with a yellow color and higher reflectivity.Furthermore, the lower atomic packing density in the amorphous phaseyielded coatings with reduced resistance to abrasion.

It should be appreciated that a number of different coating compoundsare described throughout the present description and that the presentinvention is not limited to such coatings. For example, a coated backingplate in accordance with the present description may be coated by anytype of reflective coating not limited to the coatings described herein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described in relation to variouspreferred embodiments of which some aspects are illustrated by theaccompanying figures, with other aspects being illustrated by thefollowing examples as summarized in the following tables. In thefigures:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exterior rear view mirror assembly orside view mirror assembly having a backing plate for mounting a mainmirror and a reflective coating that is directly coated to a surface ofthe backing plate for providing a spotter mirror image.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the mirror assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the mirror assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2having a reflective coating applied to a surface of the backing plate.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of a rear viewmirror assembly or side view mirror assembly having a backing plate formounting a main mirror and including a support for a reflective mirroror coating that is directly coated to a surface of the backing platesupport.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating yet another embodiment of a rear viewmirror assembly or side view mirror assembly having a backing plate formounting a main mirror or coating and a reflective mirror or coatingthat is directly coated to a surface of the backing plate.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a further embodiment of a rear viewmirror assembly or side view mirror assembly having a backing plate formounting a main mirror or coating and a reflective mirror or coatingthat is directly coated to a surface of an actuator of the backingplate.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of a rear viewmirror assembly reflective mirror or coating that is directly coated toa surface of an intermediate support on the backing plate.

FIG. 8 shows the phase composition of a CrZr_(x) coating as a functionof its elemental composition—the presence of the Ω-hcp is represented bythe diffraction highlighted with the arrows.

FIG. 9 shows the photopic reflectivity of a CrZr_(x) coating as afunction of the elemental composition—the optical reflectivity of thecoating follows its phase composition;

FIG. 10 shows the reflected chroma of the thin film coating as afunction of the elemental composition of a CrZr_(x) coating—chromaembodies the magnitude of the color relative to neutral, but not thespecific color observed; the transitions between phases are not likelyto be discrete at a given concentration.

FIG. 11 shows the abrasion resistance of a CrZr_(x) coating as afunction of the elemental composition of the CrZr_(x) coating.

FIG. 12 shows diffraction patterns from a Transmission ElectronMicroscope for CrM_(x) samples in accordance with embodiments of thepresent invention (M=Zr, Co and Ti) and for comparative purposes (M=Wand Mo).

FIG. 13 shows the relationship between lattice parameter and abrasionresistance across the chromium based samples prepared for the examples.

FIG. 14 shows a schematic view of a polymeric housing according to anexample of the invention, and a LED lamp.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show schematic views of the polymeric housing for a sideturn indicator being part of a housing of a rear view device of avehicle according to an example of the invention with the side turnindicator activated and deactivated.

FIGS. 17a, 17b, and 17c show schematic views of the polymeric housingand a polymeric light pipe according to an example of the invention.

FIG. 18 shows a schematic view of a housing comprising a side turnindicator having a plurality of LEDs and a light diffusing elementaccording to an example of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before explaining at least one example of the invention in detail, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of construction and to the arrangements of the componentsset forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings.The Figures and written description are provided to teach any personskilled in the art to make and use the inventions for which patentprotection is sought. The invention is capable of other embodiments andof being practiced and carried out in various ways. Those skilled in theart will appreciate that not all features of a commercial embodiment areshown for the sake of clarity and understanding. Persons of skill in theart will also appreciate that the development of an actual commercialembodiment incorporating aspects of the present inventions will requirenumerous implementation—specific decisions to achieve the developer'sultimate goal for the commercial embodiment. While these efforts may becomplex and time-consuming, these efforts nevertheless would be aroutine undertaking for those of skill in the art having the benefit ofthis disclosure.

In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminologyemployed herein are for the purpose of description and should not beregarded as limiting. For example, the use of a singular term, such as,“a” is not intended as limiting of the number of items. Also the use ofrelational terms, such as but not limited to, “top,” “bottom,” “left,”“right,” “upper,” “lower,” “down,” “up,” “side,” are used in thedescription for clarity in specific reference to the Figures and are notintended to limit the scope of the invention or the appended claims.Further, it should be understood that any one of the features of theinvention may be used separately or in combination with other features.Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the invention willbe or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination ofthe Figures and the detailed description. It is intended that all suchadditional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included withinthis description, be within the scope of the present invention, and beprotected by the accompanying claims.

As stated above, the present invention is directed to a backing plate ora polymeric substrate, wherein the backing plate or a polymericsubstrate is coated with a chromium-based reflective coating. Thebacking plate or a polymeric substrate and the chromic-based reflectivecoating may be at least in part permeable to light originating from atleast one light element.

Referring to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, there is shown anexterior rear view mirror assembly indicated generally at 10 installedon the door 12 of a motor vehicle 14. Mirror assembly 10 is of thetypical breakaway design and includes a housing 16 pivotally supportedon an arm 18 extending outwardly from a generally triangular shapedmounting plate 20. Preferably, two mirror assemblies 10 will be mountedon vehicle 14, one of each side thereof to provide rearward and sidewardfields of view with respect to the vehicle for the driver.

Housing 16 may be of any desired shape and includes an upper wallportion 22, a lower wall portion 24, a forwardly facing wall portion 26,an inner wall portion 28, and an outer wall portion 30, all of whichmerge smoothly together so as to present a pleasing appearance. Therearwardly facing portion of housing 16 is open and adapted to receive areflective element 32. First, reflective element 32 is preferably a flatmirror to provide a generally unaltered field of view to the user. Asuitably shaped support member or multi-function backing plate 34 issecured within housing 16 and serves to movably support reflectiveelement 32 within the opening. Reflective element 32 may be implementedupon a glass or plastic substrate, each substrate receiving a reflectivecoating in accordance with techniques described in this application andany other techniques known to those skilled in the art.

In addition to reflective element 32, support member or multi-functionbacking plate 34 also includes a reflective coating 36 that is applieddirectly to a surface thereof. In this example, the reflective coating36, which is also acting as a spotter mirror, is positioned in thebottom right corner of the mirror. It should be appreciated that anyposition can be used for the reflective coating 36 including the topright corner, the bottom left corner, and, most preferably, the top leftcorner of the mirror. In accordance with one aspect of the presentinvention, support member or multi-function backing plate 34 is amulti-function backing plate in which the backing plate structureperforms more than one function. As is described in U.S. Pat. No.7,080,913 to Paul R. Henion, et al., which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety for all purposes, a multi-function backingplate may support standard and wide angle reflective elements as well asvarious light structures. The reflective coating 36 may be configured toprovide a mirror image like that of a spotter mirror or fisheye mirrorand preferably provides a wide angle of view of the area rearward andsideward of the vehicle. The reflective coating 36 is preferably aconvex shape and applied to a surface of the multi-function backingplate 34 having a convex shape to provide the desired wide angle fieldof view.

As best seen in FIG. 3, the reflective coating 36 is applied to amulti-function backing plate 34. Multi-function backing plate 34preferably includes an integral coating support section 38 which isshaped to a desired shape upon which the reflective coating 36 isapplied. Because the reflective coating 36 is applied over the coatingsupport section 38, the curvature of the coating support section 38determines the curvature of the reflective coating 36.

Multi-function backing plate 34 may include suitable drive motors andthe like for remote control adjustment of reflective element 32 and theportion of the backing plate supporting reflective coating 36 as well asappropriate heating elements to provide defogging and deicingcapabilities.

It should be appreciated that a number of different coating compoundsare described throughout the present description and that the presentinvention includes a reflective coating as described herein and below.However, it should also be appreciated that this invention is notlimited to such coatings and any reflective coating may be used. Forexample, a coated backing plate in accordance with the embodimentillustrated in FIGS. 1-3 may be coated by any type of reflective coatingnot limited to the coatings described herein. In addition, it should beappreciated that a number of different examples of mirrors having coatedbacking plates are also included in the present invention. For example,reflective element 32 may be replaced by a reflective coating applied ona surface of the backing plate 34 and reflective coating 36 may be amirror substrate mounted to the backing plate 34. Also, both mirrors maybe reflective coatings that are applied to a surface of the backingplate 34. In another example, both reflective element 32 and reflectivecoating 36 may have the same flat configuration so that the coatingsupport section 38 is not convex, concave or curved. In another example,the reflective element 32 may be a curved mirror having a same, similar,or different curved configuration of the curved coating support section38 of the backing plate 34.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of a rear viewmirror assembly or side view mirror assembly 110 having a backing plate134 for mounting a main mirror or coating 132 and a reflective mirror orcoating 136 that is directly coated to a surface of the backing plate138.

Referring to FIG. 4, a reflective element or a reflective coating 132 isapplied to a multi-function backing plate 134. The backing plate 134 ofthis example includes a main mirror supporting section of the backingplate 134 and a spotter mirror supporting section 138 which areseparated by a portion that elevates the spotter mirror supportingsection 138 above and overlapping with the main mirror supportingsection of the backing plate 134. The spotter mirror supporting section138 and the reflective element or coating 136 supported by it areoverlapping the main portion of the backing plate 134 and the reflectiveelement or coating 132. The multi-function backing plate 134 preferablyincludes a spotter mirror supporting section 138 which is shaped to adesired shape upon which the reflective element or reflective coating136 is applied. Because the reflective element or coating 136 is appliedover the coating support section 138, the curvature of the coatingsupport section 138 determines the curvature of the reflective coating136. It should be appreciated that FIG. 4 is an example illustrating areflective element 136 that is directly attached to the spotter mirrorsupporting section 138 but that a reflective coating 136 may be applieddirectly to the surface of the spotter mirror supporting section 138.

Multi-function backing plate 134 may include suitable drive motors andthe like for remote control adjustment of reflective element 132 and theportion of the backing plate supporting reflective element or coating136 as well as appropriate heating elements to provide defogging anddeicing capabilities.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating yet another embodiment of a rear viewmirror assembly or side view mirror assembly 210 having a backing platefor mounting a main mirror or coating and a reflective mirror or coatingthat is directly coated to a surface of the backing plate.

Referring to FIG. 5, a reflective element or coating 232 is applied to amulti-function backing plate 234. The backing plate 234 of this exampleis formed using a main direction tool that is positioned at an anglewith the normal axis and in the direction illustrated in FIG. 5. Itshould be appreciated that this method of making the mirror 210 is incontrast to the mirror 110 illustrated in FIG. 4 which is forced using amain direction tool that is positioned along the normal axis.

For the mirror 210 of FIG. 5, the arrangement of the main direction toolcauses the spotter mirror supporting section 238 to overlap the mainmirror supporting section of the backing plate 234. The multi-functionbacking plate 234 preferably includes a spotter mirror supportingsection 238 which is shaped to a desired shape upon which the reflectiveelement or reflective coating 236 is applied. Because the reflectiveelement or coating 236 is applied over the coating support section 238,the curvature of the coating support section 238 determines thecurvature of the reflective coating 236. It should be appreciated thatFIG. 5 is an example illustrating a reflective element 236 that isdirectly attached to the spotter mirror supporting section 238 but thata reflective coating 236 may be applied directly to the surface of thespotter mirror supporting section 238.

Multi-function backing plate 234 may include suitable drive motors andthe like for remote control adjustment of reflective element 232 and theportion of the backing plate supporting reflective coating 236 as wellas appropriate heating elements to provide defogging and deicingcapabilities.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a further embodiment of a rear viewmirror assembly or side view mirror assembly having a backing plate formounting a main mirror or coating and a reflective mirror or coatingthat is directly coated to a surface an actuator of the backing plate.

Referring to FIG. 6, a reflective element or a reflective coating 332 isapplied to a multi-function backing plate 334. The backing plate 334 ofthis example includes a friction ball or actuator 350 for supporting andadjusting the spotter mirror that is positioned at the spotter mirrorsupporting section 338. The reflective element or reflective coating 336is applied directly to the friction ball or actuator 350 so that it isindependently adjustable from the reflective element or coating 332 ofthe main mirror. Because the reflective coating 336 is applied over thecoating support section of the actuator 350, the curvature of thesupport section of the actuator 350 determines the curvature of thereflective coating 336.

In addition to actuator 350, multi-function backing plate 334 mayinclude suitable drive motors and the like for remote control adjustmentof reflective element 332 and the portion of the backing platesupporting reflective coating 336 as well as appropriate heatingelements to provide defogging and deicing capabilities.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of a rear viewmirror assembly or side view mirror assembly having a backing plate formounting a main mirror or coating and a reflective mirror or coatingthat is directly coated to a surface of the backing plate.

Referring to FIG. 7, a reflective element or a reflective coating 432 isapplied to a multi-function backing plate 434. The backing plate 434 ofthis example is flat at the main mirror support portion 434 and thespotter mirror supporting portion 438. The backing plate 434 holds anintermediate support 450 that is flat at one side facing the spottersupporting portion 438 and curved at the other side for supporting acurved reflective element or reflective coating 436. Because thereflective element or reflective coating 436 is applied directly to theintermediate support 450, the curvature of the intermediate support 450determines the curvature of the reflective coating 436.

Multi-function backing plate 434 may include suitable drive motors andthe like for remote control adjustment of reflective element 432 and theportion of the backing plate supporting reflective coating 436 as wellas appropriate heating elements to provide defogging and deicingcapabilities.

Further to the above described examples illustrated in FIGS. 1-7,preferred dimensions for the radius of curvature may vary between thecurved mirror and a substantially flat mirror. For example, to achieve awider field of view, the curved mirror may have a radius of curvaturethat is between 0 mm and 1,300 mm. The flat mirror may be entirely flator may be slightly curved having a significantly larger radius ofcurvature. In addition, a flat mirror includes a mirror which provides auser with a one to one ratio of magnification. That is, the viewed imagemay be the same dimensions as the actual image with a 2% plus or minusdegree of distortion.

In addition, as described in multiple embodiments above, the curvedmirror may be tilted with respect to the flat mirror, or the flat mirrormay be tilted with respect to the curved mirror. Also, both mirrors maybe selectively adjustable by an actuator or manually by a user, beingboth adjustable together and separately with respect to one another. Thepreferred positions for the angle of the one mirror, for example thecurved mirror, with respect to the other mirror, for example the flatmirror, is between +40 degrees and −40 degrees outwardly, inwardly,upwardly, or downwardly. As used herein, the terms outwardly refers totilting the mirror away from the door of the vehicle, inwardly refers totilting the mirror toward the door of the vehicle, upwardly refers totilting the mirror toward the sky, and downwardly refers to tilting themirror toward the surface of the road.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle component such asa rear view device could comprise the backing plate or a polymericsubstrate coated with the chromium-based reflective coating. The atleast one light element could be any light source suitable for thispurpose. In one embodiment the at least one light element is a LED lampand could be arranged directly on the substrate. For example, this couldbe done by any means suitable for attaching the light element to thepolymeric substrate, such as adhesives, screws, by welding or the like.Alternatively, the light source could be arranged close to thesubstrate, i.e. in the proximity of the substrate. For example, thelight source could be arranged on the inside of a housing of a rear viewdevice comprising the polymeric substrate and light originating from theLED lamp could shine through the polymeric substrate and through thechromium-based reflective coating. Advantageously, a component of avehicle, or at least part of the component can serve as an ambient lightsource.

In one embodiment of the present invention the polymeric substrate iscomprised by a housing for a side turn indicator of a rear view deviceof a vehicle with the side turn indicator comprising at least one lightelement.

The polymeric housing could be part of a housing of a rear view deviceof a vehicle, preferably of a motor vehicle, such as a car, a bus, avan, a motorcycle or the like. However the polymeric housing could alsoaccommodate the back view element of the rear view device as well as therequired components to move the back view element. The back view elementcould be for example a mirror made of glass, or a visual mirrorcomprising an electronic display. The polymeric housing could bearranged so that it is orientated towards the driving direction of thecar to signal the drivers intention to change direction to the oncomingtraffic.

The polymeric housing also comprises at least one first side turnindicator. Generally, the at least one first side turn indicator mayhave any possible form and may be positioned in any direction which isdesired due to technical reasons, design reasons or legal reasons. Forexample, the at least one first side turn indicator could besubstantially elongated and could be arranged in the polymeric housingso that it is aligned substantially parallel to the street. Here, theterm “substantially parallel” defines that the side turn indicator isarranged in the housing so that it is orientated horizontally to thedriving direction. The polymeric housing could also comprise more thanjust one side turn indicator, such as two side turn indicators, threeside turn indicators or even more. For example, the polymeric housingcould comprise a second side turn indicator that points away from thedriving direction so that the on and off states of the driving indicatorare also signalized to the driver of the vehicle.

In one embodiment of the invention the at least one light element in theform of a side turn indicator is incorporated into the polymeric housingby over-moulding the side turn indicator with the polymeric material ofthe housing. Here, the terms over-moulding and co-moulding can be usedinterchangeably to refer to the incorporation of at least part of theside turn indicator into the polymeric material of the polymerichousing. Advantageously, the side-turn indicator can be fully sealed inthe polymeric housing so that it is not visible from the outside of thepolymeric housing. However, when the indicator is activated, lightoriginating from the side-turn indicator can shine through the polymerichousing (i.e. the polymeric substrate and the chromium-based reflectivecoating) to signalize the drivers intention to change direction. Here,the term “shine through” can be used to define that the material of thepolymeric housing is at least in part permeable to light. Therefore, theside-turn indicator can be located closely beneath the material surface.This way of integrating the side turn indicator is especially suitablewhen space constraints and exterior surface constraints need to beobserved.

In another embodiment of the invention, the side turn indicator isincorporated into an opening in the surface of the polymeric housingthat is closeable with a lid comprising the same material than thepolymeric housing and being coated with the chromium-based reflectivecoating. Instead of over-molding the side turn indicator, the side turnindicator can also be integrated in an opening in the polymeric housing.Here, the side turn indicator can be connected to the polymeric materialby means of screws, welding, and/or by means of an adhesive. The openingcan then be closed by the lid comprising the same material than thepolymeric housing and being coated with the chromium-based reflectivecoating, so that light originating from the side turn indicator canshine through the lid.

In one embodiment of the invention, the side turn indicator comprises apolymeric light pipe, preferably a light pipe comprising a clearpolymeric material. The clear polymeric material may be selected fromthe group consisting of polyacrylate, such as poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA), polyester, polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamides,polyamides, polycarbonate, epoxy, phenolic,acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, acrylonitrile-styrene-arylates, acetaland blends of these. Preferred substrate materials includepolycarbonate, poly (2,2′-dihydroxyphenylpropane) carbonate,polydiethyleneglycol bis(allyl carbonate), polymethylmethacrylate andpolystyrene, or blends thereof. In one embodiment the light pipe is madefrom PMMA. Here, the term “light pipe” can be used to refer to a tubularstructure that is adapted to transport light. Light might be coupledinto the light pipe at one, or at both ends of the light pipe. The lightis then being radiated from the light tube along its length, or at leastalong part of its length. The light pipe could also comprise reflectingelements so that light is directed into the driving direction of thevehicle. Here, in this example, the light pipe could be over-molded bythe polymeric material of the housing. Also, the interior and/orexterior surface of the light pipe could comprise at least in part anoptic pattern. By employing such a pattern, certain illumination effectscan be advantageously achieved.

The light source may be any suitable light source applicable for theintended purpose. In one embodiment of the invention, the polymericlight pipe comprises at least one LED lamp to illuminate the light pipe.Here, the at least one LED lamp could be arranged at one end of thelight pipe, to radiate light into the light pipe. The light is thenradiated away from the light pipe along the length of the light pipe asdescribed above. Preferably, two LED lamps are employed, where at eachend of the light pipe one LED lamp is located. The LED lamps could bearranged in the polymeric housing so that they are easily accessiblefrom the inside of the polymeric housing. Advantageously, the at leastone LED lamp can be easily replaced in such a arrangement.

In one embodiment of the invention, the at least one polymeric lightpipe is adapted to sequentially radiate the light from the at least oneLED lamp. In the description the term “sequentially” can be used torefer to a light sweep effect. For example, light might sweep from thecentre of the vehicle outwards to promote direction of travel, where thelight has the appearance of a continuous even illumination. Therefore,the polymeric light pipe could comprise reflecting and/or diffusingelements for creating the light sweep effect.

One embodiment of the invention relates to a rear view device of avehicle comprising a polymeric substrate according to the invention. Inone specific embodiment of the invention the rear view device comprisesa surface having a metallic appearance that is realized by the coatedpolymeric substrate. In one specific embodiment of the invention a sideturn indicator is arranged below the surface having a metallicappearance or comprises at least part of said surface having themetallic appearance. In one specific embodiment of the invention lightoriginating from a light source of the side turn indicator shinesthrough the surface of the polymeric substrate having a metallicappearance. In one specific embodiment of the invention lightoriginating from the light source of the side turn indicator sweeps inone direction, like from a center outwards, to indicate a direction oftravel. In one specific embodiment of the invention the light front ismoving in said direction.

FIG. 10 shows a schematic view of a polymeric housing 1 according to anexample of the invention, and a LED lamp 5. In the shown example, theLED lamp 5 is arranged on one side of the polymeric housing 1. Theindicated light rays show that light originating from the LED lamp 5 canshine through the polymeric material of the housing 1 and through thechromium-based reflective coating 2 that is arranged on the polymerichousing 1.

In FIGS. 11a and 11b schematic views of the polymeric housing 1 for aside turn indicator 3 are shown. In the shown example the polymerichousing 1 is part of a housing of a rear view device of a vehicle. InFIG. 11a , the side turn indicator 3 is shown in the deactivated state.Therefore, by merely looking at the outside of the polymeric housing 1no indication is given that a side turn indicator 3 is arranged at theinside the polymeric housing 1. FIG. 11b shows the side turn indicator 3in the activated state, where light originating from the side-turnindicator 3 shines through the polymeric housing 1 and through thechromium-based reflective coating 2 to signalize the drivers intentionto change direction.

In FIGS. 11a and 11b the polymeric housing 1 and the rear view devicehousing are shown as separate components. However, the skilled personwould know that the polymeric housing 1 of the side turn indicator 3could also accommodate the back view element of the rear view device.

FIGS. 12a, 12b, 12c show schematic views of the polymeric housing 1 anda polymeric light pipe 4 according to an example of the invention. InFIG. 12a the polymeric light pipe 4 is shown, the light pipe 4 has atubular structure and is located essentially horizontally in thepolymeric housing 1. In the shown example, light is coupled into thelight pipe 4 by means of at least one LED lamp 5. In FIGS. 12a, 12b, 12ca second side turn indicator 3′ is shown that also uses at least one LEDlamp 5′ and points away from the driving direction into the oppositedirection of the vehicle. FIG. 12b shows the polymeric light pipe 4being over-molded by the polymeric material of the polymeric housing 1.

In another example, the at least one side turn indicator comprises aplurality of LED lamps and a light reflector arrangement, wherein theplurality of LED lamps are adapted to sequentially illuminate the lightreflector element. The plurality of LED lamps could be densely arrangedalong the entire length of the side turn indicator, e.g. one afteranother. A reflector arrangement could be arranged so that the lightradiated from the LED lamps is reflected into the driving direction ofthe vehicle. Each LED of the plurality of LED lamps could be triggeredby a microcontroller with enough outputs to drive each LED lampindividually. In this manner all LED lamps can be switched on at thesame point of time, or shortly after another so as to create the sweepappearance. Alternatively, the plurality of LED lamps could be alsotriggered by shift register components which are driven by a singleoutput of a microcontroller. The microcontroller could be also logicallylinked with the vehicle front turn signal, such that if the front turnsignal is not operational then the plurality of LED lamps in the atleast one side turn indicator are not triggered.

In another example, the at least one side turn indicator comprises aplurality of LED lamps and a light diffusing element, wherein theplurality of LED lamps are adapted to sequentially illuminate the lightdiffusing element. Advantageously, all LED lamps from the plurality ofLED lamps can illuminate a common diffusing element from one edge,allowing a level of overlap in output to give a smoother sweepappearance. As described above, the plurality of LED lamps can betriggered by a microcontroller having a sufficient amount of outputsand/or by shift register components which are driven by a single outputof the microcontroller.

FIG. 13 shows a schematic view of a housing comprising a side turnindicator having a plurality of LED lamps 5 a, . . . , 5 n and a lightdiffusing element 6 according to an example of the invention. In theshown example, the side turn indicator comprises 14 LED lamps 5 a, . . ., 5 n that are all arranged horizontally in a single row and separatedfrom each other by an equal distance. Arranged below is a lightdiffusing element 6 that is shown to be slightly tilted and which isilluminated from the LED lamps 5 a, . . . , 5 n on one of its edges,allowing a level of overlap in output to provide a smoother sweepappearance.

Examples—Physical Properties of the Coating

Experiments were conducted to form various coatings in accordance withthe present invention upon polymeric substrates. In these experiments,specially prepared polymeric substrates were utilised, which themselvesincluded coatings applied directly thereupon. Indeed, the polymericsubstrates were a polycarbonate material (approximately 8 cm×8 cmsquares of 0.5 cm thickness) coated with a hardcoat resin (PHC587B fromMomentive Performance Materials Inc., TSR2626B from SDC TechnologiesInc., or PR660/MP101 from SDC Technologies Inc.), the hardcoat thenitself coated with a reactively sputtered SiO₂ layer.

The polymeric substrate was dip-coated at a withdrawal speed of 11 mm/s,or spin-coated at 300 revolutions per minute (rpm) for 5 seconds, andcured as per the manufacturers prescribed conditions, to thereby formthe hardcoat resin layer upon the polymeric substrate. For the SiO₂layer, a custom-built reactor was used to sputter a high purity Sitarget in an Ar+O₂ environment. The hardcoat resin layer and the SiO₂layer had thicknesses of 5 μm and 140 nm respectively, as determinedusing a F20 Thin Film Analyzer by Filmetrics Inc.

The chromium-based reflective coating of the present invention wassubsequently applied to the specially prepared polymeric substrates in acustom-built reactor by magnetron co-sputtering a CrM_(x) alloy layer(where M=the hcp transition metals Zr and Co), to form a range ofexemplified samples. In addition, comparative samples were preparedwhere M=the bcc transition metal molybdenum (Mo).

The substrates were heated to 85° C. using an infrared lamp in thecustom-built reactor as the chamber was evacuated to approximately1×10⁻⁴ mbar. A co-sputtering process employing two sputter targets wasused to deposit the CrM_(x) alloy layer. The substrate holder wasrotated at 60 rpm through the respective plasma's generated from a5″×12″ rectangular high purity Cr target and a 3″ disc dopant materialtarget. A sample rotation speed of 60 rpm was chosen because each passthrough the plasma was calculated to deposit approximately 4 to 6Angstrom of combined material from the targets, thus avoiding a sandwichtype layer structure and achieving the preferred binary alloy coating.

A working gas of Ar was introduced at flow rates of 80 standard cubiccentimeters per minute (seem). For deposition, the Cr target was set ata constant power of 1 kW, while the dopant material target was setwithin the range of 25 to 100 W to define the experimental window forneutral colored abrasion resistant alloy coatings. The final reflectivecoating for the samples had a CrM_(x) film thickness in the order of 40to 60 nm as determined by Atomic Force Microscopy imaging. The Cr:Mratios within the coatings of the samples were generated by changing thedopant material (M) deposition rate relative to the Cr, with the actualratios achieved determined using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)analysis (Kratos Axis Ultra DLD with an Al-Kα monochromatic source).

The elemental composition, defined by x, of the ultrathin CrM_(x) filmswas determined for each of the samples—see Table 1 (for Zr) and Table 2(for Co) below for the collected data. With Zr used as the dopantmaterial M, as the ratio between the power density applied to the Zr andCr targets increased, there was a near linear increase in the Zrconcentration in the ultrathin film. For each of the Zr samples theelectron diffraction pattern was collected using TEM (see FIG. 4), andthen analysed with respect to the major constituents within the film.The spot size of the electron beam was minimised to produce the clearestdiffraction patterns possible for these polycrystalline ultrathin films(polycrystalline with respect to the small grain-like/columnarstructures that constitute the film).

From the electron diffraction analysis of the CrZr_(x) films, twotransition concentrations are defined that represent the change from onephase composition to another. These transitions are at x=0.05 (bcc tobcc+Ω-hcp) and 0.06 (bcc+Ω-hcp to bcc+amorphous). The Ω-hcp phase is adisplacive phase transformation from the bcc structure.

The optical properties of each sample were determined using a HunterLabUltraScan Pro instrument. These optical measurements were quantified bythe CIELAB color model. A “neutral” color is reference to a color thatis defined by measured L*, a* and b* values in accordance with the 1976CIE L*a*b* Space (or CIELAB) color model, which is an approximatelyuniform color scale organised in cube form. In the orthogonal a* and b*color axes, positive a* values are red, negative a* values are green,positive b* values are yellow and negative b* values are blue, while thevertical scale for lightness (or greyscale) L* runs from 0 (black) to100 (white), allowing the positioning of a total color E in threepoints. The Chroma (C*) of the color is defined as v(a*²+b*²), and isused to quantify the magnitude of the color independent of itslightness. Ideally, for the color E to be neutral, the C* value will beless than or equal to 1 and the color E will thus be close to theneutral L* axis. Here, it is quantified by measures of a* and b* (asmentioned above) which embody the color or chroma (C*=v(a*²+b*²)) of thecaptured light, be it transmitted or reflected. Also, the total photopicreflectivity (R %) of the coatings was measured. With reference toTables 1 and 2 and FIG. 5, the reflectivity was observed to change overthe elemental composition range presented. More so, the optical responsefollowed that of the phase composition of the film with observeddiscontinuities in the reflectivity versus elemental composition at thetransition concentrations defined from the electron diffractionassignment.

Further to this change in reflectivity, at lower concentrations of Zr amaxima and minima was observed in the reflectivity as a function ofphoton energy. Indeed, measurement of the photon energy for the maximaand minima yielded 2.5 and 2.2 eV respectively, at concentrations up toCrZr_(x)=0.11. At these energy levels the observed maxima is assigned toelectron transitions from the filled d-orbital bands to the emptyd-orbital bands of the atoms, namely the 3→5 transition. From theelectron diffraction images, the crystal structure in this concentrationrange was representative of the bcc structure for Cr.

The loss of the maxima and minima in the reflectivity correlates withthe transition from the purely crystalline alloy films (bcc andbcc+Ω-hcp) to the crystalline plus amorphous. It is believed that in theamorphous phase the higher concentration of Zr yielded partially filledd-orbital bands of the CrZr_(x) structure through orbital hybridization.Increased filling of the orbitals removed the d-orbital interbandtransitions because they were then occupied. The electron transitionsthat occurred in the electronic structure of the atoms then occurred atenergies outside of the visible spectrum (>3.5 eV). As the d-orbitaltransitions were reduced and eliminated by increasing the Zrconcentration, the yellow part of the visible spectrum (ca 2.15 eV)increased in reflectivity relative to the other energy regions. Thus,the samples changed in their color intensity (chroma) from neutral toyellow when the elemental composition of Zr increased, as is apparentfrom FIG. 6.

Indeed, unlike the reflectivity, the chroma of the ultrathin film didnot show a change in trend at the transition concentration betweencrystalline to crystalline plus amorphous—see FIG. 6. At the transitionconcentration (x=0.05) where the additional Ω-hcp is observed, there isa transition in the C* value of the ultrathin films. This suggests theonset of the orbital hybridization in the electron structure occurs atconcentrations of Zr close to x=0.05.

The abrasion resistance of the reflective coating of each sample wasdetermined by employing the Bayer abrasion test. This test is employedin a variety of different industries to qualify the abrasion resistanceof a coating, with the variant employed here being similar to the ASTMF735 standard for the determination of abrasion resistance of aircraftwindows and ophthalmic lenses. A Taber Oscillating Abrasion Tester(model 6100) was used to subject the samples to 300 cycles (150cycles/min) over a stroke length of 100 mm under an applied load of 0.5kg of Alundum chips (Norton Company of Worcester Mass., USA). In thistest, the abrasion resistance is quantified by the Bayer Ratio thattakes account of the change in haze (or reflection haze for reflectivesubstrates) of the sample from the abrasion, normalised against thechange in haze observed for a reference sample (as per SAE J964). Hazeis determined by:

Haze=(R %_(SE) /R % si)×100,

where R %_(SE) and R %_(SI) are the reflectivity with the specular beamexcluded and included respectively.

Both the sample and the reference were tested for haze using the sameHunterLab UltraScan Pro instrument used for the color and reflectivitymeasurements. In this study, the same type of reference material wasused for determination of the Bayer Ratio (a piece of uncoatedpolycarbonate). The larger the determined Bayer Ratio, the greater theabrasion resistance relative to the reference sample. To reference theperformance of the coating of the present invention, in situations wherevarious pre-coating films were present as a part of the polymericsubstrate, the abrasion resistance is compared to the Bayer Ratio for achrome nitride (CrN) coating using the same pre-coated substrate, wherethe abrasion resistance of the CrN coating is defined as the acceptablelevel of abrasion resistance, and the acceptable level of abrasionresistance for embodiments of the present invention are then representedas an abrasion resistance (%) of 100%.

Again with particular reference to the samples having Zr as the dopantmaterial M, the mechanical properties of the ultrathin CrZr_(x) filmswere characterized by measurement of abrasion resistance. Importantly,it was recognised that the resistance to abrasion is not solelycharacterised by a Cr:Zr ratio, but also by the underlying layers in amultilayer structure. Therefore, in this experimental work, thespecially prepared substrates were constant within a given sample, andhence relative variations in the mechanical properties could be assignedto changes in the ultrathin CrZr_(x) coatings.

The abrasion ratio determined by the Bayer abrasion test mentioned aboveis shown in Table 1 and FIGS. 7 and 9 for Zr as the dopant material, andin Table 2 and FIG. 9 for Co as the dopant material. For the purposes ofcomparative analysis the bcc transition metal Mo was used as the dopant.

Table 1 shows that there was an increase in the resistance to abrasionupon increasing the elemental composition of Zr. A maximum in theresistance to abrasion was observed immediately after the transitionfrom bcc to the bcc+Ω-hcp, after which increasing the Zr concentrationlead to a steady decrease in the measured abrasion ratio. Table 2 showsthat the resistance to abrasion increased in line with the increase inelemental composition of Co, with the maximum abrasion resistanceachieved prior to the transition from bcc+Ω-hcp to bcc+amorphousstructure. For both of the dopants exemplified in Tables 1 and 2, theresistance to abrasion was greatest when the dopant was present atconcentrations that resulted in a bcc+Ω-hcp structure (grey columns).

Examples—Crystal Structure of the Coating

The co-sputtering generates thin film coatings of Cr doped with anothermetal (Zr in the case of most of what is described here, butalternatively also Ti or Co, or less preferably Hf, Ru, Y and Os). Asmentioned above, dopant materials such as these modify the structure ofthe Cr based coating by replacing Cr atoms within the bcc crystallattice. This modification of the atomic structure of the bcc Cr coatingwas observed and quantified for the preferred Zr dopant material bymeasuring the lattice parameter of the crystal structure using electrondiffraction. The incorporation of dopant and the resulting change inlattice parameter was observed to correlate with the macroscopicabrasion resistance. Depending on the class of the dopant metal (be itbcc or hcp) at room temperature, it was found that the degree ofmodification of the bcc Cr crystal lattice could be controlled.

An understanding of the atomic structure of the preferred binary alloysformed in the reflective coatings of the present invention was developedby conducting electron diffraction experiments on samples using aPhilips CM200 Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). These samples wereprepared by sputtering directly onto NaCl crystals, dissolving away thecrystal in Milli-Q water, and then floating the alloy coating onto anuncoated copper TEM grid. The samples included the use of the additionalhcp transition metal Ti, plus the bcc transition metals Mo and W whichwere investigated for comparative purposes.

The diffraction pattern from each sample was analysed in order todetermine the lattice parameter, a₀, in the case of crystalline coatingsor simply to confirm an amorphous structure when no crystalline materialis observed. The experimental window for the dopant target power waschosen based on the overall maximum Bayer Ratio achieved for each dopantmaterial. This window was in the range of 50 to 100 W. The resultingpowers tested for the different alloy mixtures were Mo and W=100 W; andCo, Ti and Zr=50 W.

The dominant phase present for the solid solutions of these samples wasfound to be the bcc structure, however for certain samples additionalphases were observed. The diffraction spectra of CrCo_(x), CrZr_(x) andCrTi_(x) showed the presence of a secondary phase different from bcc asindicated by the arrows in FIG. 8. This secondary phase was identifiedas a Ω-hcp phase, a displacive phase transformation from the bcc phase.Further to this analysis, it was noted that amorphous material ispresent in the background of the diffraction patterns, with this phasebeing most noticeable for the CrTi_(x) alloy (the blurred background inthe CrTi_(x) diffraction image in FIG. 8).

The relationship between the atomic structure and the macroscopicabrasion resistance is evident in Tables 1, 2. Additionally, and as canbe seen in FIG. 9, across the Cr based alloys of the samples, there is aclear trend that as the lattice parameter decreases the abrasionresistance increases. This increase in abrasion resistance is primarilyattributed to the increase in packing density of the atoms.

Indeed, comparing the atomic radii of the dopant materials to that of Crhighlights that the change in lattice parameter of the CrM_(x) alloyscannot be rationalised based on size constraints on the packing density(for example, W has a larger atomic radius yet a decrease in latticeparameter was observed for an alloy with W as the dopant material).Indeed, for transition metal alloys the electronic state of the atomsbeing alloyed and their electronic interaction generally play acontributing role in defining the lattice parameter. A comparison of thevalence electrons for Cr (4s¹ and 3d⁵) with the preferred dopantmaterials of the present invention shows that Mo is comparable (5s¹ and4d⁵), while the others have additional s-orbital and differing number ofd-orbital valence electrons. The dopant materials with a differingnumber of valence electrons compared to Cr yielded a decrease in thelattice parameter in the alloy, while Mo (which is not one of thepreferred hcp transition metals ideal for use as the dopant material)yielded an increase.

With respect to the mechanical properties of the preferred alloys of thepresent invention, these results contrast to other situations where theaddition of dopant material with a greater number of valence electronsyields solid solution softening when alloyed with the group-VI metals ofMo and W.

While not wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the orbitaloverlap for the dopant materials with additional valence electronsincreases the bonding strength in the alloy, thus yielding a reducedlattice parameter. Importantly, the bcc structure of the as-deposited Crhas been modified to a level by the dopant material where the abrasionresistance rivals that of an as-deposited bcc CrN coating (BayerAbrasion Ratio ˜7 for an as-deposited CrN_(1.3) coating using thecustom-built reactor on the specially prepared substrates).

Finally, the preferred dopant materials utilised in this experimentalwork are also able to be categorised by their room temperatureequilibrium structures. Mo and W are bcc at room temperature, while Ti,Co and Zr are hcp at room temperature. The hcp dopant materials achievea greater reduction in lattice parameter than the bcc dopant materials.Given the observation of the electron structure of the dopant materialinfluencing the bonding strength, it is believed that the hcp dopantmaterial's electronic structure yields higher bond strengths. Inaddition, and as mentioned above, these hcp dopant materials yield thepreferred composite film having both the bcc and the Ω-hcp phase.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could bemade to the embodiments described above without departing from the broadinventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that theinvention disclosed herein is not limited to the particular embodimentsdisclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spiritand scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A mirror assembly for a vehicle comprising: a mirror housing; areflective element having a first field of view; a reflective coatinghaving a second field of view, the second field of view being wider thanthe first field of view; a multi-function backing plate being placed inthe mirror housing and comprising a reflective element supporting regionwhere the reflective element is supported by the multi-function backingplate and a reflective coating supporting region where the reflectivecoating is applied to the backing plate.
 2. The mirror assembly of claim1, wherein the reflective coating supporting region is convex so thatthe reflective coating is convex and provide a wider field of view. 3.The mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein the reflective elementsupporting region includes a recess for receiving the reflectiveelement, and the reflective coating supporting region is thicker thanthe reflective element supporting region.
 4. The mirror assembly ofclaim 3, further comprising a shoulder being provided between thereflective element supporting region and the thicker reflective coatingsupporting region.
 5. The mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein thereflective coating is a chromium-based reflective coating.
 6. The mirrorassembly of claim 1, wherein the reflective coating is an alloy ofchromium and a dopant material, the dopant material being selected fromthe hexagonally close-packed transition metals, the alloy having acrystal structure of a primary body-centered cubic phase in coexistencewith a secondary omega hexagonally close-packed phase.
 7. The mirrorassembly of claim 6, wherein the alloy is a binary alloy of chromium andthe dopant material.
 8. The mirror assembly of claim 7, wherein theatomic percentage of the dopant material in the binary alloy is in therange of from about 1.9 at. % to about 5.8 at. %.
 9. The mirror assemblyof claim 6, wherein the dopant material is selected from the hexagonallyclose-packed transition metals zirconium, titanium, cobalt, hafnium,rubidium, yttrium and osmium.
 10. The mirror assembly of claim 6,wherein the dopant material is selected from the hexagonallyclose-packed transition metals zirconium, titanium, cobalt, hafnium,rubidium, yttrium and osmium.
 11. The mirror assembly of claim 6,wherein the alloy is a binary alloy and the dopant material iszirconium, and wherein the atomic percentage of the zirconium in thebinary alloy is in the range of from about 4.5 at. % to about 5.8 at. %.12. The mirror assembly of claim 6, wherein the alloy is a binary alloyand the dopant material is titanium, and wherein the atomic percentageof the titanium in the binary alloy is in the range of from about 1.9at. % to about 5.8 at. %.
 13. The mirror assembly of claim 6, whereinthe alloy is a binary alloy and the dopant material is cobalt, andwherein the atomic percentage of the cobalt in the binary alloy is inthe range of from about 1.9 at. % to 5.7 at. %.
 14. The mirror assemblyof claim 1, wherein the reflective coating has a thickness of 200 nm orless.
 15. The mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein the thickness of thereflective coating is 100 nm or less.
 16. The mirror assembly of claim1, wherein the thickness of the reflective coating is in the range offrom 40 nm to 80 nm.
 17. The mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein thethickness of the reflective coating is in the range of from 50 nm to 70nm.
 18. The mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein the thickness of thereflective coating is about 60 nm.
 19. A mirror assembly for a vehiclecomprising: a mirror housing; a reflective coating having a field ofview; a multi-function backing plate being placed in the mirror housingand comprising a reflective coating supporting region where thereflective coating is applied directly to a surface of the backingplate.
 20. The mirror assembly of claim 19, further comprising areflective element, wherein the multi-function backing plate furthercomprises a reflective element supporting region and the reflectiveelement is mounted to the reflective element supporting region.
 21. Themirror assembly of claim 19, wherein the reflective coating is achromium-based reflective coating.
 22. The mirror assembly of claim 1,wherein the reflective coating supporting region of the backing plate iselevated with respect to and overlapping with the reflective elementsupporting region.
 23. The mirror assembly of claim 22, furthercomprising an inclined shoulder that is provided between the reflectiveelement supporting region and the reflective coating supporting regionsuch that the reflective coating supporting region of the backing plateis elevated with respect to and overlapping with the reflective elementsupporting region.
 24. The mirror assembly of claim 1, furthercomprising an inclined shoulder that is provided between the reflectiveelement supporting region and the reflective coating supporting regionsuch that the reflective coating supporting region of the backing plateis elevated with respect to and overlapping with the reflective elementsupporting region.
 25. The mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein thereflective coating supporting region of the backing plate is formed aspart of an actuator that is configured to separately control movement ofthe reflective coating with respect to the reflective element.
 26. Themirror assembly of claim 1, wherein the reflective coating supportingregion and the reflective element supporting region are both flat andformed on adjacent surfaces, and the mirror assembly further comprisesan intermediate support formed between the flat reflective coatingsupporting region for supporting the reflective coating.
 27. The mirrorassembly of claim 26, wherein the intermediate support has a convexouter surface so that the reflective coating is convex and provides awider field of view.